Natural History Journal

Ah, mistletoe, that oft-sought-after Yuletide greenery, that oft-maligned plague of landscape trees.  What is a naturalist to do with a plant that has been so misunderstood?  As always, a lesson in ecology is in order!  California is home to several native species of mistletoe ( Phoradendron spp . and Arceuthobium spp .), which are not to be confused with the few unfortunate occurrences of the non-native European mistletoe ( Viscum album ) found in Sonoma county.  European mistletoe was introduced to Sonoma county around 1900, ironically by the great horticulturist, Luther Burbank.  It is not terribly host-specific, meaning it will grow happily on a wide variety of plants, but it seems to be relatively contained to one small area north of the San Francisco Bay.  The vast majority of the mistletoe across California is exactly where it is supposed to be, contrary to what most of us have heard. Wi...

Mountain Bluebirds ( Sialia currucoides ) are one of the West's dazzling surprises; no bright Painted Buntings or Northern Cardinals* for us Californians, but we do have our own little collection of brilliantly-colored birds, which happily includes two bluebird species (Western Bluebirds ( Sialia Mexicana ) being the second).  Female Mountain Bluebirds, pictured below, are doe-eyed beauties in their own right, modestly showing only hints of bright blue along their wings and tails.  Female Mountain Bluebird at Tuolumne Meadows Male Mountain Bluebirds are the real lookers: they are as vividly blue as the clear sunny heavens above the alpine firmament they call home.  To see one of these gems flutter from above to perch on a branch, you may even believe a little piece of the sky has just fallen before you.  They are absolutely breathtaking. The unfortunate and less poetic truth of the matter is that as of yet, no male Mountain Blue...

It's December, and as the leaves fall from the trees to reveal bare branches and migratory birds arrive, birding really begins to get interesting!  One striking bird you may encounter this winter in backyards and wild lands across the Great Central Valley is the American Goldfinch ( Spinus tristis ).   Male American Goldfinch, showing some typical patchiness (the gray feathers) due to seasonal molt.  These finches molt twice a year - once in late winter and again in late summer. Winter goldfinches are not as brightly colored as they are in the spring and summer and their coloring can be highly variable.  But they are still recognizable by their conical bills and wingbars.  Goldfinches readily visit bird feeders, especially during the winter, and are particularly fond of sunflower and nyjer (thistle) seeds.  In wilderness areas, look for goldfinches in open, weedy fields with thistles, sunflowers and ast...

Mono Lake, an otherworldly spot east of the Sierra Nevada in California's Great Basin desert, is such a fascinating place in so many ways, I could spend days reading and writing about it.  The geological history of the area is rich: Mono Lake, a salty inland sea with no outlet, sits in a fault basin and was formed from the melting of glaciers during the last ice age.  The glacial history written in the bordering mountains and the volcanic history seen in nearby craters, Mammoth Mountain, the Long Valley Caldera, and islands in Mono Lake itself are all worthy topics of study in their own right.  And the lake's famed tufa towers certainly deserve the spotlight in an article of their own, as do my beloved plants - in this case, those plants that have evolved to tolerate not only harsh desert conditions, but extreme salinity and alkaline soils as well!  The wonders are new every morning at Mono Lake!   Shoreline at Mono Lake's...

A week or two ago, while hiking in the Wawona area of Yosemite National Park (taking in the glorious fall colors and hoping beyond hope to see a Great Gray Owl), I came across a dried up stalk of Woodland Pinedrops ( Pterospora andromedea ) growing on the forest floor.  I'm sure most people would have walked right on by, but of course I was thrilled!  I stopped to take a bunch of photos (Eric wondered, I'm sure, what all the fuss was about over something so seemingly unspectacular) and once home, decided it was time to introduce you to a few of California's magnificent monotropes! Dried stalk of Pinedrops - unassumingly beautiful! Pinedrops are a lesser-known cousin of the showy Snow Plant ( Sarcodes sanguinea ), both of which are included in the heath family, Ericaceae.  Other plants in this family include California's 40+ manzanita species, John Muir's beloved Cassiope, the abundant Salal of the Pacific Northwest, and...

With delicate chocolate-brown heads and characteristically pointed tails, the Northern Pintail ( Anas acuta ) is the duck species I consider to be the most elegant.  Northern Pintails assemble in freshwater wetlands across the Great Central Valley during the winter months, and are usually one of the first species to arrive in great numbers, perhaps second only to  Northern Shovelers .  Northern Pintails are quite common birds across North America, Europe and Asia and there's a good chance that you will encounter them on any trip to a Central Valley wetland or wildlife refuge between October and March.  (Though they do reside in the valley year-round and a few even breed here - I'm not sure where! - their numbers are highest in the winter when augmented by migrants from the far north.) The summer breeding range of the Northern Pintail covers much of Canada (especially in the west) and Alaska, as well as northerly states such as ...

The Painted Lady ( Vanessa cardui ) is quite the cosmopolitan butterfly.  Found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica, it is considered by some to be the world's most widely distributed butterfly.  Additionally, it is one of the most common and familiar butterflies across all of North America.  Certainly the Painted Lady is a species that merits getting to know!  These pretty orange-and-black Lepidopterans are found in a variety of habitats, though they are perhaps most frequently encountered in open or disturbed areas, such as gardens and fields.  Females lay eggs on over a hundred different host plants, with thistles and mallows seemingly among their favorite.  Adults favor nectar from thistles and other members of the aster family, and will also partake of more standard butterfly fare, such as clover and milkweed.  Most of our Painted Ladies in California overwinter i...

When it comes to choosing topics to write on, I generally let the seasons dictate.  A walk outside reveals a host of ideas, and most often I like to write in keeping with current happenings in the natural cycle of seasons.  Hence, the autumn months ought to be filled with information on migrating Monarchs,  colorful leaves and the fall salmon run .  But at other times, an older photo jogs a memory or a book sparks an idea and I'll find myself reminiscing about the springtime desert in the fall, or summer in the Sierra during the depths of winter.  At still other times, a topic might not be as far-fetched as it may seem. Wildflowers, you might think, fall exclusively into the territory of spring and summer but that's not quite so, as California's mild Mediterranean climate tends to defy expectation.  With the start of what is supposed to be California's rainy season, autumn rather than spring marks the...

Oh, the Apricot Globe Mallow!  Be still my heart!  This humble mallow is perhaps my favorite desert shrub, bursting forth as it does in glorious coraly-salmon bloom.  (Some sources call the blooms "orange," but once you spend some time with this plant you will see that bland description doesn't quite do the color justice.)   Apricot Globe Mallow (also called Desert Globe-mallow, Desert Mallow, Apricot Mallow, Globe Mallow or seemingly any other combination of those words) is a member of the mallow family (Malvaceae) along with the familiar garden hollyhock.  The plant is a shrubby perennial that grows from about 1 to 3 feet tall and wide, depending on its location.  The leaves are gray, fuzzy and roundish with scalloped edges, much like those of a hollyhock.   Apricot Globe Mallow with Joshua Trees, Joshua Tree National Park This globe mallow is found across the desert southwest on dry, rocky slopes as well as sa...

At only three inches long, tiny Bushtits ( Psaltriparus minimus ) might go unnoticed by most, flitting through the foliage in loose flocks.  But once you've learned their diminutive calls you'll begin to notice the lively twittering of these little songbirds in suburban backyards as well as wilderness areas of the Great Central Valley.  They move almost constantly as they forage for small insects in shrubs and trees across the western United States, and are often found in flocks associating with other small, sprightly songbirds, such as kinglets, warblers and chickadees.      Female bushtits can be distinguished from males by their pale eyes (pictured above and below); male bushtits have entirely dark eyes.  Together, the male and female of a breeding pair build a hanging nest that looks sort of like a dirty gym sock hanging in a tree (at first glance, of course).  The nest is about a foot in length, and the...

In days gone by, California's Great Central Valley was crisscrossed by a handful of free-flowing rivers carrying snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada to water fertile grasslands below.  Natural flood plains were regularly inundated with nutrient-rich silt, and wetlands of tule reeds and myriad wildlife flourished.  Today, the rivers persist in a somewhat diminished state, rigidly controlled by upstream reservoirs and dams.  Fruit and nut orchards, vineyards and housing developments have spread across the valley, to the very edges of river bluffs.  The view west, down the Tuolumne River in Stanislaus County. Earlier this year, flooding was a major concern in many areas along the rivers, the water flowing fast and strong.  But last year, like many years, the Tuolumne River was low and fairly calm, allowing for natural explorations of the riverine ecosystem.  Now, in the fall, the river has returned to its placid state.  When the riv...

I am not exactly the biggest snake fanatic you'll ever come across, but I have learned to appreciate the role these legless reptiles play in the wide variety of ecosystems they inhabit.  Several times this year I've crossed paths with Mountain Garter Snakes ( Thamnophis elegans elegans ) while hiking in the Sierra Nevada, and one snake in Tuolumne Meadows was kind enough to pose for a few photos.   The Mountain Garter Snake is a subspecies of the Western Terrestrial Garter Snake, found in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  These snakes have a prominent yellow dorsal stripe, along with a lighter stripe on each side of the body.  They range in length from 18 inches to 43 inches (three and a half feet!) and prefer to inhabit damp areas, retreating beneath vegetation or rocks and logs when threatened.  Other subspecies and species of garter snakes tend to be more aquatic and regularly take to the water.  Garter snakes give birth to live young, ...

Milbert's Tortoiseshell ( Aglais milberti ), a striking and unmistakable Lepidopteran, is typically a butterfly of mountain meadows.  I found this individual "puddling" in a meadow near Lake Tahoe, along with a  Hoary Comma .  Commas and Tortoiseshells are closely related members of the Brush-foot family (Nymphalidae). Many butterflies are attracted to damp soil and engage in a common behavior known as "puddling."  While we typically picture butterflies delicately sipping nectar from flowers, many species obtain their nutrients from a surprising variety of sources, including rotting fruit, sap, dung, carrion and mud.  It is believed that butterflies, especially males, obtain salts and minerals from mud. The brown underside of the wings provides camouflage as these butterflies hibernate during the winter.  Also note the butterfly's extended proboscis (feeding organ) taking in nutrients from the mud.